North Herefordshire (UK Parliament constituency)

North Herefordshire
County constituency
for the House of Commons
Map
Boundaries since 2024
Map of constituency
Boundary of North Herefordshire in West Midlands region
CountyHerefordshire
Electorate70,894 (2023)[1]
Major settlementsBromyard, Kington, Ledbury and Leominster
Current constituency
Created2010
Member of ParliamentEllie Chowns (Greens)
SeatsOne
Created fromLeominster

North Herefordshire is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Ellie Chowns of the Green Party of England and Wales.[n 2] It is the first Green seat in the West Midlands region.

Constituency profile

The seat has a substantially self-sufficient population, covered by civil parishes and with low rates of unemployment[2] and social housing in each ward, with income levels concentrated towards the average in Britain.[3]

Boundaries

2010–2024

This constituency contains a northern and central part of Herefordshire, including the towns of Bromyard, Kington, Ledbury and Leominster.

The constituency was defined as comprising the following electoral wards:[4]

2024–present

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the constituency is composed of the following:

  • The District of Herefordshire wards of: Arrow; Backbury; Bircher; Bishops Frome & Cradley; Bromyard Bringsty; Bromyard West; Castle; Credenhill; Hagley; Hampton; Holmer; Hope End; Kington; Ledbury North; Ledbury South; Ledbury West; Leominster East; Leominster North & Rural; Leominster South; Leominster West; Mortimer; Old Gore; Queenswood; Sutton Walls; Three Crosses; Weobley.[5]

The seat was unchanged, except to align the boundaries with those of revised local authority wards.

The seat includes the village of Weobley, a former borough constituency that was abolished as a 'rotten borough' in 1832.

Members of Parliament

Leominster prior to 2010

Election Member[6] Party
2010 Bill Wiggin Conservative
2024 Ellie Chowns Green

History

Parliament accepted the Boundary Commission's Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which slightly altered this constituency for the 2010 general election to exclude those areas of the former county of Hereford and Worcester which are now in Worcestershire. This meant North Herefordshire being at its core a successor to Leominster constituency. The remainder of the county is covered by the Hereford and South Herefordshire seat.[7]

In the 2024 United Kingdom general election, issues included the NHS, immigration and pollution in the River Wye.[8] The seat was a target for the Greens, who ended up winning the seat.[9]

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

The 2024 election marked the first time that the Greens had gained a Parliamentary seat directly from the Conservatives.

General election 2024: North Herefordshire[10][11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Green Ellie Chowns 21,736 43.2 +34.4
Conservative Bill Wiggin 15,842 31.5 −31.0
Reform UK Andrew Dye 8,048 16.0 N/A
Labour Jon Browning 3,205 6.4 −8.8
Liberal Democrats Cat Hornsey 1,436 2.9 −10.6
SDP Michael Guest 95 0.2 N/A
Majority 5,894 11.7 N/A
Turnout 50,362 71.7 −0.9
Green gain from Conservative Swing +32.7

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: North Herefordshire[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Bill Wiggin 32,158 63.0 Increase 1.0
Liberal Democrats Phillip Howells 7,302 14.3 Increase 2.6
Labour Joe Wood 6,804 13.3 Decrease 5.6
Green Ellie Chowns 4,769 9.3 Increase 3.8
Majority 24,856 48.7 Increase5.6
Turnout 51,033 72.6 Decrease 1.5
Conservative hold Swing Decrease 0.8
General election 2017: North Herefordshire.[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Bill Wiggin 31,097 62.0 Increase 6.4
Labour Roger Page 9,495 18.9 Increase 7.5
Liberal Democrats Jeanie Falconer 5,874 11.7 Decrease 0.3
Green Ellie Chowns 2,771 5.5 Decrease 1.5
Independent Sasha Norris 577 1.1 New
Independent Arthur Devine 363 0.7 New
Majority 21,602 43.1 Increase 1.5
Turnout 50,177 74.1 Increase 2.1
Conservative hold Swing Decrease 0.6
General election 2015: North Herefordshire[14][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Bill Wiggin 26,716 55.6 Increase 3.8
UKIP Jonathan Oakton 6,720 14.0 Increase 8.3
Liberal Democrats Jeanie Falconer 5,768 12.0 Decrease 19.0
Labour Sally Prentice 5,478 11.4 Increase 4.3
Green Daisy Blench 3,341 7.0 Increase 3.8
Majority 19,996 41.6 Increase 20.8
Turnout 42,545 72.0 Increase 0.5
Conservative hold Swing
General election 2010: North Herefordshire[16][17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Bill Wiggin 24,631 51.8 Decrease 0.7
Liberal Democrats Lucy Hurds 14,744 31.0 Increase 6.9
Labour Neil Sabharwal 3,373 7.1 Decrease 8.4
UKIP Jonathan Oakton 2,701 5.7 Increase 2.4
Green Felicity Norman 1,533 3.2 Decrease 1.5
Independent John King 586 1.2 New
Majority 9,887 20.8 Decrease 7.6
Turnout 47,568 71.5 Increase 2.3
Conservative hold Swing Decrease 3.8

See also

Notes

  1. ^ A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
  2. ^ As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.

References

  1. ^ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – West Midlands". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  2. ^ Unemployment claimants by constituency The Guardian
  3. ^ "Local statistics - Office for National Statistics". www.ons.gov.uk.
  4. ^ Fifth periodical report – Volume 4 Mapping for the Non-Metropolitan Counties and the Unitary Authorities, The Stationery Office, 26 February 2007, ISBN 978-0-10-170322-2
  5. ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 8 West Midlands region.
  6. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "H" (part 2)
  7. ^ "Final recommendations for Parliamentary constituencies in the county of Herefordshire". Boundary Commission for England. 7 January 2004. Archived from the original on 2 November 2009. Retrieved 5 May 2010.
  8. ^ "North Herefordshire election debate: Four key takeaways". BBC News. 27 June 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  9. ^ "Joint Green Party leader visits Ledbury as party targets constituency". BBC News. 20 June 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  10. ^ "North Herefordshire". BBC News. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  11. ^ "Herefordshire North". Sky News. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  12. ^ "Herefordshire North Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  13. ^ "2017 general election candidates for Herefordshire confirmed". Worcester News. 11 May 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  14. ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  15. ^ "Herefordshire North parliamentary constituency - Election 2017" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  16. ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  17. ^ "Six candidates to stand in North Herefordshire parliamentary election". Herefordshire Council. 21 April 2010. Archived from the original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 5 May 2010.

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